Jon Steele, KELI Tulsa OK November 26, 1968 (01:03:24)

. . . Sorry that society is coming to this point . . .

[Description by Uncle Ricky]

KELI ("Kelly", 1430 Khz) in Tulsa, Oklahoma was known as a successful Top 40 station for many years. Les Garland worked there. But this recording of morning drive from November 26, 1968 demonstrates a "full service" approach, with a playlist designed for advertisers — not teens. And, as if "ripped from today's headlines" (in 2009), the hour opens with a song about health care!

The Real Jon Steele is our host, assisted by newsman Forrest Brokaw. In addition to news, weather and traffic, this hour includes a chat with the Mayor, a Pet Alert, a welcome to new Tulsa residents, the public school lunch menu, and comments from Mitch Miller about The Beatles and (gasp!) genitalia!

This recording, apparently made for American soliders in Vietnam, had a serious hum (sounded like a ground loop to this old engineer..) The hum was notched out, but what couldn't be removed were the effects of that hum on the remaining audio, most noticeable on voice (HM for hum modulation.) As expected, most of the records are quite grungy, and we're even treated to a skip! There are a few PAMS jingles, and overall, it's a fascinating listen, a true record of Oklahoma Americana.

Tulsa TV Memories has a page dedicated to pictures and memories of KELI.